“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

– Leo Buscaglia

We all have the ability, and I would argue the responsibility, to make our world a better place. Building better people builds that better world. Today you will have many opportunities to build better people by performing the simple compassionate acts of caring that are mentioned above.

Use your greatness to help others rediscover their own.

Greatness isn’t what it used to be.

Not in my book, anyway.

The traditional interpretation of greatness has always relied on an external comparison component. You know, the you’re-better-than-me  she’s-better-than-her evaluative comparison stuff. Only through comparison can something be considered greater than something else.

Without the comparison, there is just is. If Mount Everest was the only mountain in the world, would anyone refer to it as being the tallest? No. It would just be a mountain. It needs lesser mountains around it to claim its greatness.

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“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”

–Gandhi

Gandhi understood that collectively we all have the capacity to change the world for the better.

Individually, you have the capacity to solve that which needs solving in your own life, and change your own world for the better.

It’s all part of the greatness that lies within you. Rediscover your greatness!

“You are searching the world for treasure, but the real treasure is yourself.”

–Rumi, 13th century Persian poet

You need not look any further. You’ve found greatness. It is within you.

Rediscover the treasure that is you!

I love random acts of kindness. Giving just because it is the right thing to do and expecting nothing back in return. So simple, yet one of the highest forms of love and compassion.

Attempting to take this to the next level, I like to practice what I call Un-Random Acts of Greatness! Un-random, in that yes, in fact, I did intend to spread the greatness virus today. And while kindness warms the heart; greatness ignites it!

In a prior post I proclaimed that living up to my own greatness was an obligation. I also feel I have a similar obligation to inspire others to live up to their own greatness as well.

So, here are five simple things you can do today to create greatness…Un-random Acts of Greatness!

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“Everyone has the power for greatness—not for fame, but greatness, because greatness is determined by service.”  

– Dr. Martin Luther King

Offer your unique talents and gifts in service to the world. Your greatness will transform those touched by your service. It will also transform you as well.

How many more children would have died if Jonas Salk didn’t live up to his potential?

I write a great deal about potential and greatness simply because I have yet to live up to my own. Sure, I’ve enjoyed personal and professional successes, but I sometimes feel like I’m a Formula 1 Indy car cruising on a winding country road on a lazy Sunday afternoon..

I know there is no scientific gauge to measure potential-lived-up-to, but I just know that there’s still a lot more in my tank. Conversely, if there was a scientific gauge to measure excuses-made-as-to-why-potential-has-not-been-lived-up-to, I’d be off the charts.

PROFOUND QUESTION Is living up to my potential and maximizing my capacity for greatness really necessary? Or, is it just a self-indulgent quest…just to see what I am actually capable of?

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“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”

–Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph overcame much adversity, including polio, to achieve her greatness. Wilma won three gold medals at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Be inspired by her accomplishments!